National mourning guidance suggests adding black edging or banners to homepages, as well as sharing memories online
The death of Her Majesty the Queen has been acknowledged by public sector websites, with the central GOV.UK site adding a black banner with her dates of birth and death and a link to a special section to the top of its pages.
A section on websites and social media in national mourning guidance published by the government on 9 September says organisations can add black edging or banners to website homepages and share their memories of Her Majesty online. It says there is no set way to use social media, suggests organisations review any planned content and take into consideration accessibility for visually impaired users.
The guidance, which applies until the end of the day of the Queen’s state funeral, is framed as advice rather than a set of rules. “There is no expectation on the public or organisations to observe specific behaviours during the mourning period,” it says. “Public services will continue as usual, although there may be some changes to service availability on the day of the State Funeral.”
Other public sector websites have added material near the top of their homepages. Parliament’s site is headed by a black banner with a picture of the Queen, as well as her dates of birth and death. The main NHS website has a link to a short statement from NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard passing on condolences and remembering the Queen’s award of the George Cross to NHS staff earlier this year.
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead replaced the homepage of its Visit Windsor site with a message thanking the Queen and a warning that the town will be a “very different place” over the next week: “The buses will run, the shops will open, but the mood will have changed and we would ask that all visitors are respectful during this period of national mourning.”
